this post was submitted on 31 May 2026

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182

Wife's vehicle conked out in a parkade. Diagnosis: diesel in the gas. (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 5 hours ago by ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/dull_mens_club@lemmy.world

39 comments fedilink hide all child comments

She called me because she couldn't get her car started after work. We had to get it towed out of the underground parking which is quite a pain in the ass apparently.

I spent a couple hours troubleshooting the issue (smoky exhaust, barely started, ran like shit) and I burned out the starter in the process and had to put a new one in. Starters in these little 3.7L engines are pretty pathetic.

At some point in all this she mentioned she had filled up before driving to work, so I figured out how to jumper the fuel pump and pumped out this piss-colored junk. Feels oily like diesel, doesn't burn explosively like you'd expect with straight gas.

Fresh fuel and some Seafoam snake oil to maybe clean injectors. Since I didn't drop the tank to clean it perfectly, she's going to put small amounts in for a few fills and burn it off completely between fills because the solution to pollution is dilution.

Her receipt showed she uses the gas pump, not the diesel, so I'm wondering how many people got to deal with this bullshit since I'm guessing the station got an entire compartment contaminated. Haven't bothered to talk to the company, since I did the work myself and they certainly aren't going to reimburse me for my time.

Ah well, it's an excuse to do a pile of other maintenance I'd planned anyway and had parts for.

Wife is happy she isn't buying a new car. Happy wife, happy life.

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[–] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 3 points 1 hour ago

what kind of vehicle? racing? farming? troop transport? I've never heard of a 3.7L engine

[–] HeerlijkeDrop@thebrainbin.org 48 points 3 hours ago (4 children)

these little 3.7L engines

Are 3.7L engines really called little in America or are you being sarcastic? 😳

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Well, in that model, 2006 Grand Cherokee, that was the small engine. There was also a 4.7 and 5.7 Hemi. Engines have come a long way in 20 years.

And maybe America if you mean North America.

[–] Botzo@lemmy.world 18 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I'd guess this is a mustang and that would make it the "small" engine (~305hp) for that car, the other option being a 5.0L.

[–] virku@lemmy.world 12 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Still quite a big engine.

[–] xylol@leminal.space 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I guess when compared to a small 1.2l motorcycle engine

[–] Andonyx@lemmy.world 1 points 36 minutes ago

FWIW my last two four door cars were 1.6 and 2.0, and I'm in the US. (Although they were both kias.)

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Yeah I twigged on that too, and I’ve owned a 7.0L at one point. It seems like 4.2 is “big” these days but idk since leaving the ICE world.

[–] FrowingFostek@lemmy.world 59 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

"The solution to pollution is dilution." Muthafuckin mechanical Dr Seuss. An engine and word smith.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I'm happy until I hear "There's no replacement for displacement". Because the objective truth is that there is; It's quality.

[–] call_me_xale@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

Precision manufacturing, bay-be

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 hour ago

Maybe Ford will discover it one day

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 15 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I've heard so many engineers giggle as they say it to each other simultaneously. But it's fair, who doesn't like rhyming.

[–] FrowingFostek@lemmy.world 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I pull cable for a living and it's my first time hearing it. I'm impressed and also stealing it.

[–] xylol@leminal.space 2 points 1 hour ago

Pulling cable and laying pipe

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 31 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Man that sucks.

There was a tiktok prank where the wife calls the husband with this exact complaint and says it happened after filling up a new gas station that had yellow pumps. Then they record the husband's realization the wife means diesel in the gas. 😥

My wife called me from work and gave the spiel about being stranded, and we got to the yellow pump part. And in my head I'm thinking aww crap. But I said no problem, go to the nearest store and grab a coffee/snack, I'll get a tow truck to come.

After a while she said LOL, just kidding. And she asked why I was so calm about it. And so I explained that she has done quite a few things to/with the car that I can't waste energy on being frustrated and instead just deal with the logistics of these things.

She said she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing...means its happened too much. LOL

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 6 points 38 minutes ago (2 children)

Your wife played a TikTok prank on you? Personally I would be far more upset about that than the car.

[–] naught@sh.itjust.works 4 points 28 minutes ago

one is a joke you don't like, the other is hundreds of dollars or more

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 1 points 13 minutes ago

As if pranks from other sources are merited any higher? No one got hurt and while I can't say I particularly recommend trying this, the partner's reaction might be a major red flag as to how they're going to react sometime else with a real, more serious issue.

[–] CMDR_Horn@lemmy.world 27 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Form a small business and write up an invoice to yourself for your work. See how far that goes.

*Edit not legal advice

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

I do have a corporation but sounds like more work than it's worth in order to maybe get in a pissing match with an oil company.

Fuck em, they're on the shit list now anyway. Not like I'd redeem a free tank of gas from them for obvious reasons.

Shell, just to name and shame.

[–] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

Shell, just to name and shame.

Yep. That tracks.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Assuming their gas indeed is contaminated, go buy 1 gallon of gas, in a spare gas jug, and check it out yourself to confirm. If it's contaminated, well there's your proof. If it doesn't look contaminated, but perhaps you don't trust it anyways, well run it through a lawnmower..

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 hours ago

Honestly, this happened a week ago, I only got around to looking at it this weekend since we finished up seeding and I haven't been dropping into bed after 16 hours straight of sitting in a tractor or pulling wrenches on way heavier equipment.

So I'm sure it's long sorted out now.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You could run that in a mower without it damaging the motor? I'd never have guessed!

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Lawnmowers, especially simple basic push mowers, are much cheaper and simpler than vehicles. No fuel injectors (carburetor), no oxygen sensors, hell most don't even have a fuel line, the carb pulls gas straight out of the tank.

If the gas actually is contaminated with diesel or oil, it wouldn't actually damage the engine, it would just run like shit and blow out more smoke than usual, until the gas tank is drained and fresh gas put in.

Now on the hypothetical other hand, if the gas was contaminated with something way more flammable than gasoline, such as acetone, then yeah that engine is probably gonna go BOOM!

[–] Hello_there@fedia.io 9 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Gas stations are usually franchises, owned by small businesses

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 1 points 40 minutes ago

Depends on where you are from. Where I am from most of the gas stations are owned by the local refineries.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 14 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

this happened to my mom years ago, sometime in the mid 80s. she never pumped her own gas unless she had no choice. the culprit was a full serve station. they put in diesel instead of regular (car was from the 70s).

nowadays that couldn't happen unless the tanks at the station were wrong (tanker delivery screwing up). unleaded-only cars (the norm now) have narrower openings and pump nozzles to match. diesel and the old 'regular' pump nozzles literally won't fit.

[–] erusuoyera@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Neighbour of mine told me that they had broken down because they put diesel in their petrol car. My first question was about the nozzle not fitting. They said they thought it was odd that it didn't, and it took ages to fill the tank because it kept overflowing. So I wouldn't say it can't happen.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 hours ago

true. "this shouldn't happen" would be a more correct phrasing.

[–] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

My brother managed to fill a diesel car with gas. Luckily, just a few liters, and it's an old shitty diesel that probably doesn't notice. Still, not nice.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Filling a diesel car with gas is way worse than filling a gasoline car with diesel. Diesel in a gasoline car makes it not run. Gas in a diesel car destroys the engine and high-pressure fuel pump.

[–] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah, obviously, don't do it, and especially don't do it on a car from this century with modern injection and shit.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 10 points 5 hours ago

I hate when the only pumps available are ones with a diesel option. I always preferentially use the one with the e85 options instead. Im so paranoid about it.

[–] artwork@lemmy.world 7 points 5 hours ago

I am sorry you got into the trouble, and I do believe the gas station company MUST pay for your priceless precious life time, your and wife's time, and worries... They have camera videos showing the wife used the correct pump, but the essence you paid for was not provided, and also damaged your property - your car, and likely yours wife worktime.

One thing I can also tell is that you are a great man, a good husband, and just a freaking marvelous person I appreciate you for...
Thank you... dear @ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com ... for being a miracle...